Sleep is an important and necessary part of a person's daily routine. Insufficient or poor sleep can have both short-term consequences such as reduced alertness and concentration, and long-term consequences like heart disease and stroke. Many factors can lead to a poor night of sleep, including internal factors like stress or sickness, and external factors like noise, improper temperature, or an uncomfortable sleeping surface, as examples.
Aware of the consequences of poor sleep, consumers often spend thousands of dollars on external factors to maximize comfort. These expenditures may include improving the comfort of the bed by adding special mattresses, pillows, and blankets. Consumers may also improve the sleeping environment by adjusting the room temperature, muffling or cancelling out disturbing noises, or blocking undesired light from entering the room.
One means of improving the sleeping environment involves supplying a flow of air to the sleeping area to make the sleeping climate more comfortable to the user. For example, a ceiling fan or a room fan may be used to circulate air in a room. It is also known in the art to place a ventilation system near a bed, or under bed covers, to provide a flow of air either over or under the bed covers. However, existing ventilation systems are independent from the bed, and must be installed by the user. Additionally, these ventilation systems can take away from the aesthetics of the bedroom, as they require additional apparatuses to be placed on or near the bed.
Another shortcoming of existing ventilation systems is that they are configured to provide a flow of air either over the top of the bed covers, or underneath the bed covers, but cannot be easily converted by the user to provide only sound enrichment, i.e., the provision of desirable background or “white noise” that facilitates sleep. Sound enrichment cancels out sleep disturbing noises external to the sleeping environment, such as noisy streets or neighbors. However, if the user does not desire a circulation or supply of air in known ventilation systems, the fan or ventilation system must be turned off or moved away from the sleeping area, mitigating the beneficial sound-enrichment provided by the ventilation system.
There is a continuing need in the art for a bed apparatus that selectively provides a flow of air and sound enrichment, or only sound enrichment.